Seamless cover for paint rollers



July 3 1956 A. w. SCHMIDT 42,752,93

SEAMLESS COVER FOR PAINT ROLLERS Filed Feb. 25, 1954 INVENTOR. ARNOLD W. SCHMIDT mi A TORNEYS nited States N Patent sEAMLEss COVER FoR PAINT RoLLERs Arnold W. Schmidt, Beloit, Wis., assignor to Great Lakes Mills, Inc., Beloit, Wis., a corporation Application February 23, 1954, Serial No. 411,644 2 Claims. (Cl. 13S-76) This invention appertains to paint applicators of the roller type and more particularly to a novel cover for paint rollers.

In the art of paint rollers, it is common to use a knitted pile fabric as a covering for the rollers. This covering consists of a knitted base fabric having incorporated therein a synthetic fiber staple, such as Nylon, Dynel, etc. to form a pile on one face thereof. In the use of this fabric, the same is cut in strips and wound spirally around a stiffening tube or shell and secured thereto by an adhesive. In other instances, the fabric is brought about the tube or shell with the longitudinal edges of the strip in abutting relation and the strip is secured to the tube or shell by an adhesive. In actual use, these coverings are highly objectionable, in that the meeting edges of the strip both where the strip is wound spirally or straight around the tube, form marks in a painted surface and where fast setting paints are utilized these marks cannot be removed. Likewise, the adhesive has a tendency to creep between the abutting edges of the fabric and form a stiff seam and the pile breaks down or flattens at the seam. In cleaning these covers, paint is difficult to remove from the seams.

These objections to paint rollers are well recognized in the trade and have created a problem which manu` facturers have long endeavored to overcome. In the patent to Barnes et al., No. 2,636,252, issued April 28, 1953, it was proposed to utilize a canvas sleeve and to form a plurality of wool loops protruding from one face of the sleeve. The forming of the loops in the canvas sleeve constitutes a costly step of manufacture, and actually the loops do not form a close'uninterrupted continuous pile for the even application of paint.

It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of my invention to provide a seamless knitted sleeve with a natural or synthetic staple pile on one face thereof of such a diameter that the same can be slipped directly over the stiifener tube or sleeve, whereby to not only eliminate the formation of objectionable marks on a surface during the painting process but to also eliminate the step of winding or folding a knitted covering around a tube or shell.

A further salient object of my invention is to provide a seamless knitted sleeve having a pile on one face thereof and composed of a knitted base possessing some elasticity, whereby the base can be knitted of a slightly smaller interior diameter than the exterior diameter of the stitfener tube or shell, whereby the covering can be slipped over the tube or shell in a slightly stretched condition and thus tightly grip or hug the tube or shell.

Another further object of my invention is to knit a rice sleeve or covering having a pile of such a diameter that it is merely necessary to cut the knitted fabric in lengths and then apply the lengths directly onto the stiifening tube or shell.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an improved covering for paint rollers which will be durable and efficient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture, and one which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable price,

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts as will be hereinafter more specifically described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing,

Figure l is a perspective view of a paint roller covering constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the covering showing the seamless construction thereof;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional View showing the covering being slightly stretched and slipped over a stiening tube or shell, and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the cover completely on the stiffener tube or shell.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter C generally indicates my improved covering for a paint roller (not shown), and this covering includes a continuous seamless cylindrical body. This seamless body comprises a knitted base fabric 5 having projecting from one face thereof, a uniform pile 6. This pile is preferably formed from Nylon,7 Dynel, or similar synthetic fiber, and obviously, natural fibers can be used. While the manufacture of the seamless covering forms no part of this present invention, it is to be understood that the same is made on a circular knitting machine which knits the base fabric 5 and that carded slivers of the synthetic or natural fiber staple are fed to the needles of the knitting machine during the knitting operation to form the pile 6 on one side of the base fabric.

The important feature of the invention is the knitting of the covering of such a small diameter and of a diameter which can be slipped over a stiifener tube or shell 7 (see Figures 3 and 4), so that the same can be used directly on a paint roller without a seam.

Actually, it is proposed to knit the base fabric 5 of a slightly less interior diameter than the exterior diameter of the shell or tube '7, and as the base fabric 5 is knitted, the same possesses some elasticity and hence the base fabric can be stretched and pulled over the tube or shell 7 (see Figure 3). Thus the covering will closely engage and hug the tube or shell, and an adhesive need not be employed to secure the covering to the outer surface of the shell. However, it is to be understood that a desirable type of adhesive can be employed if such should be desired.

The tube or shell 7 can be formed from any desired material, such as cardboard, plastic etc. The tube in itself forms no part of the invention, and only in combination with the seamless covering.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or 'the scope of this invention, but what I claim as new is:

l. As a new article of manufacture, a paint applying cover for a roller utilized in the manual application of paint to a surface comprising a one-piece seamless tubular sleeve including an inner knitted base fabric and an exterior pile composed of bers made from carded slivers and knitted into the base fabric and having their ends projecting generally radially and generally uniformly from said knitted base fabric, said base fabric being inherently elastic, and a stiffener core, said cover having its knitted base fabric of a slightly less diameter in its normal untensioned condition than the exterior diameter of the core, and said cover being expanded and stretched over the core to snugly hug the core.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a paint applying cover as defined in claim 1, and an adhesive bonding the cover to the core.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,994,482 Moore Mar. 19, 1935 2,080,127 Goedike May 11, 1937 2,345,337 Gardner Mar. 28, 1944 2,520,863 Thomas et al Aug. 29, 1950 2,630,619 Schmidt Mar. 10, 1953 2,649,649 Colehower Aug. 25, 1953 

